Wet day at the races

To Le Val des Terres hillclimb on a wet day. The folks are friendly and the motors mixed. We talk to Tim le Pelley, driving the KAD 16-valve mini, who marks our cards about hillclimbing in the Channel Islands, notably the Petit Bot Hill Climb on Guernsey and events in Alderney.

The startline is in St Peter Port and traction is minimal up the hill. After a walk in the woods checking out the course we dive into the Half Moon Cafe Restaurant (Havelet Bay, tel: 730770) just before the hillclimb crowd arrive for lunch. The atmosphere compares to the best in racing anywhere.

Scott Moran is leading the British Hill Climb Championship and he wins the first top-12 runoff in a damp 35.86 sec. Here Roger Moran drives while son Scott looks on in blue cap.

The Channel Islands are known for sand racing and the cars have crossed over into hillclimbing. They look oversized and agricultural compared to the high-tech carbonfibre cars but are an intriguing local phenomenon. For price/performance they are unbeatable.

P.S. Le Val des Terres hillclimb admission: No charge. Programme: No charge. Remarkable.
Pics by RLT.